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FEATURE GAMING

Asus ROG Zephyrus G16 Gaming Laptops

HP OMEN 14-fb0014TX This compact 14-inch gaming laptop packs a punch, with a crystal clear 2.8K OLED display supporting 120Hz and a blistering 0.2ms response time, plus NVIDIA GeForce RTX

LAPTOP Easy to take pretty much

Available in several configurations, no matter which you opt for this dynamic laptop brings a large, 16 inch screen, a speedy Intel processor, RAM to spare, and plenty of SSD

anywhere you wish to go, gaming laptops nowadays pack impressive specs on a par with many high end desktop systems. While usually less user-upgradeable, you can get set up with a powerhouse from day one. Check out these great options:

4060 graphics. With a speedy Intel Core Ultra 7 processor at its heart it’s just as at home gaming, or when it’s productivity time.

storage. Add NVIDIA GeForce RTX graphics and ports galore and any ROG Zephyrus is a super gaming laptop option.

PC GAMING ON THE GO If your idea of PC gaming is having the same freedom to play at home or go anywhere like Nintendo Switch players can, then great news – you can! High-powered portable gaming PCs are the latest thing, and here are two of the top choices available right now. Words Amy Flower

BIG SCREENS! An important part of a desktop gaming setup is the monitor. You need one that’s speedy enough to keep up with your games, and then there are such considerations as size, screen ratio, flat or curved, and resolution. Even if you’re gaming on a laptop, connecting to a monitor can really enhance your play experience. Check these two out: Lenovo Legion Y27QF-30 27" QHD 240Hz Gaming Monitor A perfect allrounder size at 27 inches (diagonally), you’re covered for resolutions less than 4K, with support for up to a nippy 240Hz refresh rate. Add a tiny 0.5ms response time, HDR10 support, and AMD FreeSync Premium for a smoother gameplay experience and this one’s an affordable winner.

Lenovo Legion Go Z1 Extreme PC experts Lenovo’s portable Windows 11 gaming entry delivers a wealth of cool features. A sleek, ergonomically designed black case with rounded edges houses a large 8.8-inch QHD – that’s 2560 x 1400 pixels – touchscreen display, with 500 nits of brightness, and up to 144Hz refresh rate. The Legion Go Z1 Extreme features a classic controller layout, with asymmetrical, RGB-lit thumbsticks, a D-pad, A, B, X, and Y buttons, top bumpers and triggers, a small trackpad, a scroll wheel, and additional buttons for various functions such as accessing settings. Then there’s the big ace up its sleeve, just like Nintendo’s Switch, the Bluetooth supporting Legion TrueStrike controllers can be removed, opening up the option of desktop gaming – aided by the solid kickstand on the main unit’s rear. There’s some serious power under its bonnet, via an AMD Ryzen Z1 Extreme processor. This features built-in RDNA 3 graphics that give dedicated consoles a run for their money. Coupled with 16GB of speedy RAM, plus a 512GB SSD, there’s plenty of memory power, plus you can add extra storage up to 2TB via microSD card. If you have several game libraries – Xbox Game Pass, Steam, etc. – then they all converge neatly in the Legion Space app. It allows you to game from the cloud, stream from PC, and even immerse yourself in Android emulation.

MSI Claw A1M M SI has joined the portable Windows 11 gaming PC fray with the impressive Claw A1M. It boasts curvy ergonomic grips for optimal comfort, even during longer gaming sessions, and the unit with battery weighs in at just 675 grams. It packs a seven-inch, Full-HD IPS touchscreen with VRR that delivers up to 120Hz, and 500 nits of brightness. This is coupled with a pair of two-watt speakers, that feature Hi-Res Audio certification. Control-wise, the Claw A1M apes the typical Xbox controller layout, with asymmetrical thumbsticks. Along with the ABXY buttons these both feature adjustable RGB lighting, and, along with the left and right triggers, utilise Hall Effect technology for greater reliability. An Intel processor is inside, providing processing power for basically anything that you can throw at it. Intel Arc Graphics oomph is coupled with 16GB of DDR5 RAM, and there’s 512GB of SSD space, as well as a MicroSD card reader for even more storage space. A 53Whr battery delivers a decent amount of action on a single charge, while other top specs include Wi-Fi 7 readiness, and Bluetooth 5.4 support. MSI’s dedicated Center M software keeps settings at your fingertips, collates your various game launchers such as Steam and Xbox, and automatically updates installed games into one easy to find spot.

LG 42" OLED EVO Flex 4K UHD Gaming TV Beautifully big and packed with cutting edge features, this is a monitor to aspire to. The clever Flex offers the beauty of OLED with the ability to bend the screen from basically flat to perfectly curved. As a bonus, well as delivering all the latest gaming features and specs, it also doubles as a fully-fledged TV.

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